Wire drawing machine and method



Nov. 20, 1962 M. A. NYE ETAL WIRE DRAWING MACHINE AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1961 FIG5 FIG 8 INVENTORS MALRICE A. NYE

JESS c. BITTMAN Y GLENN TROWBRIDGE ATTORNEYS Nov. 20, 1962 M. A. NYE ETAL WIRE DRAWING MACHINE AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1961 INVENTORS MAURICE A. NYE

JESS C. BITTMAN BY GLENN TROWBRIDGE Oberlin, 'j FIG 2 Z oRNEYs Nov. 20, 1962 NYE ETAL 3,064,919

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed March 24, 1961 '7 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. MAURICE A. NYE

JESS C. BH'TMAN GLENN TROWBRIDGE ATTORNEYS The present invention relates generally as indicated to a wire drawing machine and method and, more particularly, to such machine and method of the stationary blockstationary coil type wherein a fiyer revolves around the axis of the block to wrap wire around the latter, the wire convolutions dropping from said block onto a support for collection as an upwardly growing package or coil.

Hitherto, in such stationary block-stationary coil machines it has been a prevalent practice to provide a rotary fiyer drive shaft through which the wire lineally travels and emerges radially through a slot adjacent an end of the shaft for travel over a sheave which moves in a circular path about the block or capstan. In turn, the block is held against rotation as by means of epicyclic gearing between the fixed head of the machine and the block, the fiyer carrying planet gears respectively meshing with sun gears fixed to the head and block respectively. Generallly, in this form of machine the end of the flyer drive shaft is journalled in hearings in the block. A disadvantage of this type of stationary block-stationary coil machine is that in the case of drawing or like working of the wire the wire is wrapped around the block under substantial tension to thus place heavy lateral thrust and torque loads on the epicyclic gearing aforesaid and on the bearings between the fiyer drive shaft and the block.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of'this invention to provide a stationary block-stationary coil type of wire drawing machine and method in which the block comprises two parts namely, a main stationary part mounted directly and securely to the head of the machine so as to be capable of withstanding such lateral thrust and torque loads as imposed by the drawing operation as the fiyer revolves around said main part, and a second take-up part which is likewise stationary and supported against rotation by epicyclic type gearing, the fiyer being operative to unwrap the convolutions from the main part and wrap them around the take-up part with but very little stress on the epicyclic gearing and on the bearings between the take-up part and the fiyer drive shaft.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wire drawing machine and method of the character indicated in which the take-up part of the two-part stationary block aforesaid is effective to hold the convolutions around the main part and to uniformly release the convolutions for buildup of a neat and compact package or coil.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a wire drawing machine embodying the present invention, a portion of the machine head being broken away to more clearly illustrate the two-part block and the fiyer structure;

ise

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section view taken substantially along the line 22, FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section view on enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 3-3, FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the block and fiyer assembly as viewed upwardly from the bottom of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section View through the fiyer drive shaft and sheave taken substantially along the line 5-5, FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation view taken substantially along the line 6-6, FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the fiyer as viewed from the left-hand side of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation view as viewed along the line 88, FIG. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and first to the machine and method as a whole, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the same comprises an overhanging top head I supported on a rear column 2, the overhanging portion of the head I being disposed over a well 3 in the floor F in which is contained the support structure 4 for a pallet 5 upon which wire convolutions are accumulated in the form of an upwardly growing package or coil C.

The pallet 5 and its support 6 together with the three parallel coil support rolls 7, are mounted on the pivot 8 for movement from tilted position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to a position wherein the pallet 5 and support 6 are in a horizontal plane and the coil support rollers 7 are vertical. Such actuation is efifected as by means of the fluid cylinder 9' which, when retracted, tilts the assembly 4 about the pivot 8 and which, when extended, moves the support 6 to horizontal position so that the completed package C, together with the pallet 5 thereunder may be pulled off the support 6. To facilitate such withdrawal of the completed package C and its pallet 5, the support 6 may be provided with suitable conveyor rolls 10.

In order to build up a neat and compact package C which contains a substantial weight of wire, the support 6 with the pallet 5 thereon is slowly rotated about the tilted axis of the drive shaft 11 as by means of a suitable motor 12 and gearing l3, and as the convolutions of wire W descend by gravity from the overhanging head 1 of the machine, the convolutions will engage the upper portions of the tilted rolls 7 and will thereby slide downwardly and be displaced laterally of the axis of the stationary block assembly 15 supported by said head 1. Thus, as the pallet 5 and support 6 slowly rotate, successive convolutions are laid in circular progression neatly and compactly. In the present case the package C is shown of over-center type, that is, the circularly laid convolutions define a central core and form a package C of outside diameter less than twice the diameter of the individual convolutions. An under-center package may be formed by making the final package of diameter more than twice the diameter of the individual convolutions. Another form of package would be an on-center package on which the outside diameter of the package is equal to twice the diameter of the individual convolutions.

In any event, the rollers 7 in engaging the convolutions as they are progressively laid, serve to maintain the package relatively smooth on its outside diameter and, of course, the progressive circular laying of the convolutions causes them to nest together to form a very compact and neat package. It is, of course, to be understood that instead of the tilted rollers 7 as herein shown, the pallet 5 may be provided with a tilted core member, basket, drum, or the like which would be engaged by the descending convolutions and laterally shifted thereby so as to collect in circular progression on the slowly rotating pallet 5. It has been found that neat, compact packages,

of the character indicated are formed as by maintaining a speed ratio of about 800:1, that is, the support 6 and pallet make one revolution while 800 convolutions drop from block assembly 15. As an example, a coil C of number 16 /2 wire has been formed to an outside diameter of 31", an inside diameter of 11, and a height of 17 which weighs about 1250 pounds. As a further example, a 2000 pound coil would have a height of about 40 and outsideand inside diameters of about 29" and 14" respectively, while the wire convolutions are of about 22" diameter With reference to the block and flyer assembly 15, and again referring more particularly to FIG. 1, there is secured within the head 1 a bearing assembly 16 for the flyer drive shaft 17 which, at its upper end, has keyed thereto a drive sheave 18 over which is trained the V-belts 19 or the like driven by sheave 20 on the output shaft 21 of a speed reducer 23. Also mounted within the head 1 of the machine is an electric drive motor 24 which, through the belt 25 and sheaves 26, 27, drives the input shaft 28 of the speed reducer 23.

Referring now to the remaining figures of the drawings, the flyer drive shaft 17 is formed with a central bore 29 through which the wire W to be drawn and packaged passes lineally downwardly. Adjacent the lower end of the flyer drive shaft 17 there is provided a sheave 3% which extends into a radial slot 31 formed through the wall of the flyer drive shaft 17 over which sheave the wire W passes radially outwardly. Secured to the flyer drive shaft 17 in the region of the sheave 30 for rotation with said shaft, is the flyer housing 34 and flyer plate 35. The flyer plate 35 has mounted thereon three skewed sheaves 36, 37, and 38 and the flyer housing 34 has journalled therein a shaft 39 on the ends of which are mounted cog belt planet gears 40 and 41 or the like, which have cog belts 42 and 43 trained thereover and over similar cog belt sun gears 45 and 45 respectively. The sun gears 45 and 46 are fixedly mounted to the bearing housing 16 and to the bottom take-up part 47 of the two-part block or capstan 47-48 employed herein. From the foregoing, it can be seen that as the flyer drive shaft rotates, the above-described epicyclic gearing arrangement serves to hold the bottom take-up part 47 against rotation.

The flyer drive shaft 17 is journalled in antifriction bearings 49 and 50 widely spaced apart in the bearing housing 16 and also in a pair of antifriction bearings 51 and 52 in the center of the bottom block part 47.

Following the course of the wire W as it moves radially outwardly from the flyer drive shaft 17, it passes over a first skewed sheave 36 mounted on the top of the flyer plate 35 to wrap the wire W on the beveled shoulder or apron 53 of the fixed upper or main part 48 of the block assembly, this upper part 48, together with bearing housing 16, being securely bolted directly to the head 1 of the machine, whereby as the Wire W is drawn through the straightening rolls 54 and through the adjacent die 56, under great tension, no stresses are imposed on the epicyclic gearing. As the flyer plate 35 rotates as in the direction shown in the arrow in FIG. 4, the wire W is Wrapped around the fixed block part 48 and by reason of the provision of the beveled shoulder 53, the convolutions are continuously shoved downwardly and such rotation, at'the same time unwraps the convolutions from the block part 48 by reason of the rotation of the plate 35 and the passage of the wire over the next tilted sheave 37 on the top of the plate 35.

From the second tilted sheave 37 on the topof the plate 35, the wire W crosses over to the tilted sheave 38 at the bottom of the plate 35 wherefrom the wire W passes through an adjustable casting device 57 and is wrapped around the bottom block part 47 at the beveled shoulder 58 thereof for progressively shoving down of the convolutions for descent onto the pallet 5 and support 6 therebelow.

In order to build up several convolutions on the bottom block part 47 and to release them uniformly for descent by gravity therefrom, there are provided a pair of pivoted arms 59 on vertical pivots 60 which have wire-engaging shoes 61 at their ends that are pressed by tension spring 62 against the convolutions. Thus, the convolutions are held in single-layer form in the bottom block part 47 and as the wire W is wrapped'around the bottom block part 47 at the beveled shoulder 58, the convolutions are uniformly shoved downwardly and uniformly released as the convolutions pass the shoes 61.

As the convolutions leave the bottom block part 47, they fall through a guide funnel 63 which is supported on the forwardly extending arms 64 of the machine head and engage the upper portions of the tilted rolls 7 so that by the time they reach the pallet 5 they have been laterally displaced for building up an annular package C as shown.

When a package C has been completed, the wire W will be cut and the fingers 65 of funnel 63 will be swung in to the dotted positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereupon the convolutions will be collected in the funnel 63 during the time that the completed package C and pallet 5 are removed and replaced by an empty pallet 5. Thereupon, the fingers 65 may be swung out to the solid line positions, whereby the accumulated hank of convolutions will drop down and progress to build up the next package C.

To maintain the convolutions snug around the main fixed block part 48 during the drawing operation, the takeup part 47 is preferably of slightly larger diameter, for instance, 22 /8 diameter for part 47 as compared with 22" diameter for part 48. In lieu of such difierent diameters of the parts 47 and 48 as aforesaid the epicyclic gearing may be arranged to slowly rotate the part 47 to tend to wrap wire W thereon at a rate greater than the rate of unwrapping from part 48. In any event, the lateral and torque loads of the drawing operation are not imposed on the epicyclic gearing and on the bearings 51 and 52 between the flyer drive shaft 17 and block part 47.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a wire takeup block assembly secured to said head; a flyer assembly journalled in said head including wire guide means thereon which orbits about said block assembly to form a lineally traveling wire into convolutions wrapped around said block assembly; a wire supporting platform disposed below said block assembly for gravity descent of convolutions thereonto to form an upwardly growing package of wire convolutions; said block assembly comprising a first block secured to said head to with stand severe lateral stresses imposed by wrapping wire thereabout under tension as said wire guide means orbits therearound, a second block axially spaced from said first block, and support means extending through said first block from said head to said second block to support said second block for rotation of said flyer assembly with respect thereto; said wire guide means, as it orbits about said block assembly, further being effective to upwrap convolutions from said first block and to wrap them around said second block for such gravity descent onto said platform.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support means comprises epicyclic gearing including sun gear members fixed with respect to said first and second blocks respectively, and planet gear members keyed on a common rotary shaft of said flyer assembly and having operative engagement with the respective sun gear members whereby said flyer assembly rotates with respect'to said second block.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flyer assembly comprises a drive shaft journalled in said head, and a plate on said shaft extending radially between said first and second blocks; and wherein said wire guide means comprises a first sheave over which wire fed lineally through said shaft and thence radially from said shaft between said blocks passes for wrapping on said first block, a second sheave over which the wire passes as it is unwrapped from said first block, and a third sheave over which the wire passes as it is wrapped around said second block; said second and third sheaves being mounted in tilted position on opposite sides of said plate for crossing over of the wire as it is unwrapped from said first block and wrapped around said second block.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein friction shoes are spring-pressed against the wire convolutions wrapped around said second block to retain a number of convolutions therearound at all times prior to gravity descent therefrom.

5. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a fiyer assembly journalled in said head; a first takeup block secured to said head; a second takeup block disposed axially adjacent to said first block; wire guide means on said fiyer assembly arranged, upon rotation of said fiyer assembly, to orbit about said blocks successively to wrap wire around said first block, to unwrap wire convolutions from said first block, and to wrap the wire unwrapped from said first block around said second block wherefrotr. the wire convolutions are collected to form a package; and support means for said second block extending through said first block from said head to said second block for orbiting of said wire guide means with respect to said block; said support means comprising epicyclic gearing including sun gear members fixed with respect to said first and second blocks respectively, and planet gear members on said fiyer assembly operatively associated with the respective sun gear members to enable rotation of said fiyer assembly with respect to said blocks.

6. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a fiyer assembly journalled in said head; a first takeup block secured to said head; a second takeup block disposed axially adjacent to said first block; wire guide means on said flyer assembly arranged, upon rotation of said fiyer assembly, to orbit about said blocks successively to wrap wire around said first block, to unwrap wire convolutions from said first block, and to wrap the wire unwrapped from said first block around said second block wherefrom the wire convolutions are collected to form a package; and support means for said second block extending through said first block from said head to said second block for orbiting of said wire guide means with respect to said block; said fiyer assembly comprising a tubular drive shaft into one end of which the wire is linearly fed for radial emergence from between said blocks to said wire guide means.

7. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a fiyer assembly journalled in said head; a first takeup block secured to said head; a second takeup block disposed axially adjacent to said first block; wire guide means on said fiyer assembly arranged, upon rotation of said fiyer assembly, to orbit about said blocks successively to wrap wire around said first block, to unwrap wire convolutions from said first block, and to wrap the Wire unwrapped from said first block around said second block wherefrom the wire convolutions are collected to form a package; and support means for said second block extending through said first block from said head to said second block for orbiting of said wire guide means with respect to said block; said fiyer assembly comprising a tubular drive shaft into one end of which the wire is lineally fed for radial emergence from between said blocks to said wire guide means; and said wire guide means comprising a first sheave over which the emerging wire passes for wrapping around said first block, and other tilted sheave means over which the wire passes as it is unwrapped from said first block and wrapped around said second block.

8. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a fiyer assembly journalled in said head; a first takeup block secured to said head; a second takeup block disposed axially adjacent to said first block; wire guide means on said fiyer assembly arranged, upon rotation of said fiyer assembly, to orbit about said blocks suecessively to wrap wire around said first block, to unwrap wire convolutions from said first block, and to wrap the wire unwrapped from said first block around said second block wherefrom the wire convolutions are collected to form a package; and support means for said second block extending through said first block. from said head to said second block for orbiting of said wire guide means with respect to said block; said upport means being arranged to impart slow rotation of said second block in a direction tending to wrap therearound a greater length of wire than around said first block during each revolution of said fiyer assembly thereby to cause slip of the wire on said second block and consequent maintenance of the convolutions of wire in snug engagement around said first block as they are unwrapped therefrom.

9. Wire handling apparatus comprising a fixed head; a fiyer assembly journalled in said head; a first takeup block secured to said head; a second takeup block disposed axially adjacent to said first block; wire guide means on said fiyer assembly arranged, upon rotation of said fiyer assembly, to orbit about said blocks successively to wrap wire around said first block, to unwrap Wire convolutions from said first block, and to wrap the wire unwrapped from said first block around said second block wherefrom the wire convolutions are collected to form a package; and support. means for said second block extending through said first block from said head to said second block for orbiting of said wire guide means with respect to said block; said support means comprising flexible belts trained over wheels fixed with respect to said first and second blocks respectively and over wheels on a common shaft rotatably carried by said fiyer assembly whereby severe lateral stresses on said first block due to the wire being wrapped under tension around said first block are not imposed on said second block and said support means when the wire is wrapped around said second block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,187,827 Gibbs June 20, 1916 2,669,347 McIlvried et a1 Feb. 16, 1954 2,874,918 Steiber Feb. 24, 1959 

